Jessi Colter

Biography

Mirriam Rebecca Joan Brower (née Johnson; born May 25, 1943), known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American country music singer who is best known for her collaborations with her second husband, Waylon Jennings, her solo albums I'm Jessi×Jessi1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1The Hand That Rocks The Cradle3:08A2One Woman Man4:23A3It's Morning (And I Still Love You)2:20A4Rounder3:47A5Here I Am3:41B1Without You3:56B2Darlin' It's Yours3:05B3Would You Walk With Me (To The Lilies)3:00B4All My Life, I've Been Your Lady3:36B5I See Your Face (In The Morning's Window)3:28 Colter, Jessi, and Diamond in The Rough×Diamond in the Rough1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Diamond in the Rough7:14A2Get Back3:27A3Would You Leave Now3:13A4Hey Jude6:29B1Oh Will (Who Made It Rain Last Night)4:37B2I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name3:55B3Ain't No Way2:25B4You Hung the Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)3:19B5A Woman's Heart (Is a Handy Place to Be)2:35B6Oh Will (reprise)1:35, all of which broke into the US Billboard 200 in 1975 and 1976 respectively, as well as for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "I'm Not Lisa".
Colter was one of the few female artists to emerge from the mid-1970s "outlaw country" movement.
After meeting Jennings, Colter pursued a career in country music, releasing her first studio LP in 1970, A Country Star Is Born×A Country Star Is BornApril 1970 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Too Many Rivers2:30A2Cry Softly2:56A3I Ain’t the One2:13A4It's Not Easy3:08A5He Called Me Baby2:31A6Why You Been Gone So Long3:05B1If She’s Where You Like Livin’2:46B2Healing Hands of Time2:34B3That’s the Chance I’ll Have to Take2:00B4Don’t Let Him Go2:21B5It’s All Over Now2:26. Five years later, Colter signed with Capitol Records and released "I'm Not Lisa", which topped the country charts and reached the top five on the pop charts. In 1976, she was featured on the collaboration LP Wanted: The Outlaws, which became an RIAA-certified platinum album.

Early life

Mirriam Johnson was born on May 25, 1943, in Phoenix, Arizona, and raised in a strict Pentecostal home. Her mother, Helen D Perkins Johnson, was a Pentecostal preacher and her father, Arnold Hobson Johnson, was a racecar driver. At age 11, Colter became the pianist at her church.
After graduating from Mesa High School in 1961, she began singing in local clubs in Phoenix. After marrying guitarist Duane Eddy in 1961, and still using her real name of Mirriam Johnson, she released two singles that were issued on the Jamie label. The first, "Lonesome Road", received scattered airplay in several US markets, though not enough to make any national charts. After a second single failed to even get regional airplay, Johnson did not record again for nearly a decade. She continued to tour with Eddy until divorcing him in 1968. The following year, she met country artist Waylon Jennings, who helped her secure a recording contract with RCA Victor, and married him.

Early career: 1970–1974

Johnson, now billing herself as "Jessi Colter", resumed her recording career in 1970. That year, Waylon Jennings and Colter sang duet on two top-40 country chart hits. On March 25, 1970, she played keyboard for her husband during his appearance on The Johnny Cash Show. She released her debut album, A Country Star Is Born×A Country Star Is BornApril 1970 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Too Many Rivers2:30A2Cry Softly2:56A3I Ain’t the One2:13A4It's Not Easy3:08A5He Called Me Baby2:31A6Why You Been Gone So Long3:05B1If She’s Where You Like Livin’2:46B2Healing Hands of Time2:34B3That’s the Chance I’ll Have to Take2:00B4Don’t Let Him Go2:21B5It’s All Over Now2:26, on RCA, with Jennings and Chet Atkins co-producing. The album was not successful and did not make an impact on the country music market. It was Colter's only album for RCA, and she left the label soon after, though her face appears on several of Jennings' record covers from this period.

Breakthrough success: 1975–1979

In 1975, Colter signed with Capitol Records. On the label, she released her debut single, "I'm Not Lisa". The song was Colter's breakthrough single; it reached number one on the Billboard Country Chart, but only peaked at number four on the Billboard Pop Chart. Her second album, titled I'm Jessi×Jessi1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1The Hand That Rocks The Cradle3:08A2One Woman Man4:23A3It's Morning (And I Still Love You)2:20A4Rounder3:47A5Here I Am3:41B1Without You3:56B2Darlin' It's Yours3:05B3Would You Walk With Me (To The Lilies)3:00B4All My Life, I've Been Your Lady3:36B5I See Your Face (In The Morning's Window)3:28 Colter. was also released that year and reached number one on the Cashbox Top Country Albums chart, number fouron the Billboard Country Albums Chart, and number 50 on the Billboard 200 Top 100 Pop Albums chart. The follow-up single from that same album, "What's Happened to Blue Eyes", was also very successful, peaking at number five on the Billboard country chart and number 57 on the pop chart. The single's B-side, "You Ain't Never Been Loved (Like I'm Gonna Love You)", charted among the Top Pop 100, also in 1975.
A survey of industry sources reveals that Capitol was releasing both "You Ain't Never Been Loved" and "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" as simultaneous singles for the pop and country markets. The confusion in marketing was made evident when programmers were uncertain of which single to play. Both sides of the same record scored on the Pop Top 100, but "What's Happened to Blue Eyes" powered into the Country Top 5. Capitol clearly recognized that a miscalculation had occurred and subsequently purchased full-page industry ads saying, "We've FLIPPED. What's Happened to Blue Eyes IS the single." It was too little, too late. With two competing singles marketed to radio, Capitol's risky move made certain that Colter would not naturally follow up the success of 'I'm Not Lisa' in the Pop Top 40.
The second single was nevertheless a huge country/pop success, and later that year, Colter launched a nationwide tour as part of Waylon Jennings' program at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. In 1976, Colter released her second and third Capitol studio albums, Jessi and Diamond in the Rough×Diamond in the Rough1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Diamond in the Rough7:14A2Get Back3:27A3Would You Leave Now3:13A4Hey Jude6:29B1Oh Will (Who Made It Rain Last Night)4:37B2I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name3:55B3Ain't No Way2:25B4You Hung the Moon (Didn't You Waylon?)3:19B5A Woman's Heart (Is a Handy Place to Be)2:35B6Oh Will (reprise)1:35. Both albums were as successful as Colter's 1975 album, both debuting at No. 4 on the Top Country Albums chart. The lead single from her Jessi album, "It's Morning (And I Still Love You)" was a Top 15 country hit in 1976 on the country charts. Her second album that year, Diamond in the Rough produced only one charting single, "I Thought I Heard You Calling My Name". At this point, Colter had established herself as a big-selling "albums artist," rather than a casual honky-tonk hitmaker, given that her talents were far more inclined to soul-rock than to mundane country music. For the remainder of the decade, Colter toured with her husband, Waylon Jennings, and released her studio album Mirriam×Mirriam1977 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1For Mama3:10A2Put You Arms Around Me3:09A3I Belong to Him4:02A4God, If I Could Only Write Your Love Song3:01A5Consider Me3:42B1There Ain’t No Rain2:38B2God, I Love You3:00B3Let It Go2:54B4Master, Master2:59B5New Wine3:45 in 1977. She then released her next album, That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls×That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Roll On3:29A2Black Haired Boy2:51A3I Was Kinda Crazy Then3:10A4That's the Way a Cowboy Rocks and Rolls3:20A5My Cowboy's Last Ride3:12B1Hold Back the Tears3:00B2Maybe You Should've Been Listening4:35B3Don't You Think I Feel It Too3:02B4Love Me Back to Sleep2:26B5My Goodness5:00 the following year. Her success began to decline through the remainder of the decade, with her final two albums of the decade not producing any Top 40 country hits.

Later music career: 1980–2002

In 1981, Colter and her husband returned to release a duet album entitled Leather and Lace. The album's first single, "Storms Never Last", was written by Colter, and the second single, "The Wild Side of Life"/"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," was also a major hit in 1981, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Country Chart. The album was certified gold in sales by the RIAA that year, Colter's second RIAA-certified album to date. Stevie Nicks wrote the title track of the album, but after receiving word that Colter and Jennings might divorce, Nicks released her own version of the song as a duet with Don Henley. It peaked at number six on pop chart, also in 1981. Also in 1981, Colter released her final studio album on Capitol records, Ridin' Shotgun, which also spawned Colter's last charting single on the country charts, "Holdin' On".
As the decade progressed, Colter's success began to decline. She released an album in 1984 on the Triad label titled Rock and Roll Lullaby×Rock and Roll Lullaby1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Rock and Roll Lullaby2:56A2Wild and Blue2:04A3Stormy Weather2:32A4I Want to Be With You2:17A5I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know2:16B1I’m Going by Daydream2:37B2Partners After All3:04B3Easy Street2:45B4I Can’t Stop Loving You2:35B5Tiger2:07, produced by Chips Moman. In the later years of the decade, though, she decided to let her recording career decline to help take care of and nurse her husband through his drug abuse and various medical problems. She remained active during this time.
In the early 1990s, she focused her attention on performing and released an album of children's music titled Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids×Jessi Colter Sings Just for Kids1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1I’d Like to Sing With Kids2La Cucaracha3Old King Cole4I’d Like to Teach the World5A Windmill in Old Amsterdam6The La La Song7Octopus’s Garden8Mary Ann9Frere Jacques10Babushka Baio11Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ra12Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star13This Land Is Your Land14Choo Choo Ba15London Bridge16Did You Ever See a Lassie17Jasmine Flower18Bubbles and Bubbles19Funiculi, Funicula20He’s Got the Whole World21Aloha Oe: Songs from Around the World in early 1996. It featured a guest appearance by Jennings, who recited some of his poetry for the video. In 2000, Colter performed on Jennings's live album Never Say Die, released two years before his death in 2002, at age 64.

Return to music: 2006–present

In 2006, Colter returned to recording with a new studio album released on the Shout! Factory label, Out of the Ashes. It was Colter's first studio album in over 20 years. The album was produced by Don Was and reflected on Jennings' death. Jennings had an unused vocal, "Out of the Rain," which was featured on the track.
The album was given many positive reviews, including Allmusic, which gave the album four out of five stars in 2006. Out of the Ashes was her first album since 1981 to chart on the Top Country Albums chart, peaking at No. 61. In 2007 Colter recorded a duet version of her 1975 hit "I'm Not Lisa" with Deana Carter on her 2007 album, The Chain. In 2017, Colter and Jan Howard provided guest vocals to a track appearing on Written in Song, an album by Jeannie Seely. The song, called "We're Still Hangin' In There Ain't We Jessi", references how Seely and Colter are seemingly two of the only women in country music who managed to have a successful marriage.
Colter's first album in 11 years, The Psalms×THE PSALMS24 March 2017 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1PSALM 150 Praise Ye the Lord2:492PSALM 75 Unto Thee3:443PSALM 114 and the Mountains Skip Like Rams8:394PSALM 99 He Is Holy2:515PSALM 24 Who Is the King of Glory3:286PSALM 136 Mercy and Loving Kindness5:427PSALM 151 King David's Last Psalm2:578PSALM 21 Be Thou Exalted3:199PSALM 45 My Song to a King4:5610PSALM 73 Like a Beast5:3411PSALM 23 the Lord Is My Shepherd2:3912PSALM 72 Arise O King of Old6:48, was released on March 24, 2017, by Legacy Recordings. The album consisted of Colter's favorite Book of Psalms passages put to music; it was produced by Lenny Kaye, who recalled an evening when Colter, Jennings, Patti Smith, and he were having dinner together in 1995 when Colter began to sing passages of the Bible. Kaye stated that he was "transfixed" and kept the evening in his mind until he convinced Colter to record those renditions in 2007, with the album being recorded over the course of two sessions, along with a further two in 2008. Of the album, Kaye stated, "we tried to choose songs that weren't about warring peoples, but more about comfort and reconciliation". On April 11, 2017, Colter released a tell-all memoir titled An Outlaw and a Lady: A Memoir of Music, Life with Waylon, and the Faith That Brought Me Home.
Her 12th solo album, Edge of Forever×Edge of Forever27 October 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Standing on the Edge of Forever4:092I Wanna Be With You3:013Hard on Easy Street3:064Lost Love Song3:275Angel in the Fire4:076Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus3:307With or Without You3:538Fine Wine3:099Maybe You Should4:4610Secret Place5:46, was released on October 27, 2023. It was produced by Margo Price and mixed by Colter's son Shooter.

Personal life

Colter met guitarist Duane Eddy in Phoenix through her sister Sharon L. Johnson who was married to Cowboy Jack Clement at the time. Eddy produced her first record, and she toured with him. They were married in 1961 in Las Vegas, settling in Los Angeles. She pursued a career as a songwriter under her married name, Mirriam Eddy. Her songs were recorded by Don Gibson, Nancy Sinatra, and Dottie West. Colter and Eddy have a daughter, Jennifer. In 1968, Eddy and Colter separated, divorcing later that year. Colter moved back to Arizona. In that same year, she met Waylon Jennings, and they married on October 27, 1969. At this time, Mirriam adopted her stage name, Jessi Colter. She chose the name based on a story her father once told her about an accomplice of Jesse James's, Jesse Colter. The couple then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and had one son, Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (b. 1979). Jennings and Colter were married until his death.
Colter announced on June 19, 2023, on her social media pages that she had married Arlin Brower in Rio Verde, Arizona, on February 14, 2023. Colter and Brower were married on a horse-therapy ranch. Arlin Brower is a former heavy equipment contractor and a horse breeder.